Holidays bring annual pay bump for state officials

November 25, 2013News Extra

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state lawmakers, judges and top executive branch officials will see a few hundred dollars more in salary in 2014, unless they decline it.

The increase is just 0.3 percent, smaller than most other years because of the region’s sluggish rate of inflation. The bump takes effect next Monday for lawmakers and Jan. 1 for judges and top executive branch officials, including the lieutenant governor, Cabinet secretaries and statewide row officers.

The salary range for lawmakers starts at $84,012, up from $83,802 this year. That goes up to $131,149 for the House speaker and Senate president pro tempore. Nearly every senator will make at least $95,797, while House and Senate floor leaders will make $121,723, and whips and Appropriations Committee chairmen will make $112,632.

The Supreme Court’s chief justice will be paid $206,032, other justices $200,205, common pleas judges about $174,000 and district judges about $87,000.

Corbett will be paid almost $187,818, although his office says he only takes the $175,000 salary set for the governor back when he was elected in 2010. Still, he pays taxes based on the higher salary and his state pension will be based on the higher amount, an Office of Administration spokesman said.

Each year, state law adjusts the salaries to reflect changes over the past 12 months in the consumer price index for urban consumers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.